Lock



Oct. 5, 1937. E. N. ANDERSON 2,094,574

LOCK

original Filed March 17, 1955 2 sheets-sheet; 1

/NVE/VTOR E. N. ANDERSON ArroR/VHA 'Oct 5, 1937 E. N. ANDERsoN LOCK original Filed Maron 17, 193e' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVE/vrof? E. N. ANDERSON ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1937 LOCK Emil Nathaniel Anderson, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to American Telephone and Telegraph Company, a corporation of New York Continuation of application Serial No. 69,390, March 17, 1936. This application October 6, 1936, Serial No. 104,266

17 Claims.

This invention relates to locks.

This appiication is a continuation of my application Serial No. 69,390, filed March 17, 1936 entitled Locks and keys for operating the same.

An object of the invention is the prevention of fraudulent operation of locks.

In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention the tumblers ofthe lock are in the form of rotatable discs each of Vwhich is pro- .vided with a slot whichfollows an irregular path. The lock is adapted to be operated by a key of the type disclosed in my application Serial No. 88,857, led July 3, 1936`entitled Keys. In accordance with one specific arrangement of the key as described in my copending application just referred to it comprises a plurality of concentric tubes or sleeves -each of which terminates in a flange. When the key is inserted in the lock each ange is individually associated with a tumbler. The tubes or sleeves are driven through gears by the rotatable knob or hand grip of the key; the flanges of the key individually rotating the tumblers of the lock at such relative speeds that corresponding portions of all the slots are progressively aligned to cause and to permit the linear movement down the slots of a pin carried by the bolt, this movement resulting in a retraction of the bolt.

A complete understanding of the operation of the lock contemplated by the invention and of the various advantageous features thereof may be gained from a consideration of the following detailed description and thel annexed drawings in which: l

FigureA 1 is a central sectional view of a key of the type adapted to be used with the lock contemplated by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the key, a portion of the end cover plate being broken away to show parts of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the key taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the key taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6, showing the positions of parts of the lock when the bolt is in fully projected position;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8, the bolt, however, being in partially retracted position;

Fig. 10 is a View similar to that of Fig.l 8,

the bolt, however, being in fully retracted position;

the bolt and one of the tumblers showing the result of a fraudulent attempt to operate the lock without the proper key; n

Fig. 12 is a View of a portion of the cash receptacle housing door shown in Fig. 6, showing the arrangement of the key receiving aperture therein; and

Fig. 13 is a sectional View of a portion of the key mechanism showing a modified form of driving gears.

Referring now to the drawings, a key 2| is shown in Fig. 1 which comprises a hand grip portion 22 the shape of which is similar, in general, to that of an ordinary door knob. The hand grip portion is provided With an opening on one side, this opening being normally closed by plate 23, and terminates at its opposite side in hub portion 24. Several gear wheels, the arrangement and operation of which will be vdescribed in detail in the following paragraphs, are positioned within hand grip portion 22 while sleevelike extensions of certain 'of these gears project through hub portion 24 and form, so to speak, the core of the key structure. f

A shaft 26 (Fig. l) is positioned within hand grip portion 22, upon which 'shaft are xedly mounted gear wheels 2l, 28 and 3|. Wheels are in mesh, respectively, with gear wheels 32 and 33 and geared segment 34 of plate 36. (Figal, 2 and 3.) A second shaft 3l (Fig. 1) is also positioned within the hand grip portion, gear Wheels 4| and 42 being xedly mounted on this shaft. Gear wheels 4I and 42 are in mesh respectively with geared sector 43 and with geared segment 44 of plate 36.

VA pin 47 passes through the center of the key being anchored at one of its ends in cover plate -23 and at its other end in tip portion 48 of the key. This pin, therefore, operatively connects tip 48 of the 4key to the hand grip portion so that, when the latter is rotated, tip 48 rotates in a corresponding manner.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the core of the key structure is formed by a plurality of sleeve-like extensions of certain of the gear wheels and plates housed within the hand grip, namely, sleeve 6l Fig.v 11 is a view of the lowermost portions of' These gear the extension oi geared sector d3, sleeve 62 the extension or" gear wheel 32, sleeve 63 the extension of gear wheel 3S and sleeve $2 the extension of plate 35.

As shown in Fig. i the core portion of the key, when viewed as a section through hub 2li, is composed of a series of concentric circular elements, namely7 pin l, the several sleeves referred to above and hub 2d. However, as shown in Fig. 5, the sleeves are, upon emergence from hub 24, flattened on two sides so that the portion of the core which projects from hub 2li presents a surface bounded on two sides by parallel straight faces and on the other two sides by arcs. The reason for the provision ci theese flat faces will be apparent from the subsequent description of the operation oi the key and lock.

Sleeve 6l terminates in flange 6B (Figs. 1 and 6) sleeve 62 in ilange @l and sleeve E3 in flange 68. Each of these flanges, due to the flattening of the sides of the core of the key described above, presents a surface bounded on two sides by parallel straight faces and on the other two sides by arcs.

Subsequent to the description of the lock mechanism which is to follow, the operation of the key, arrangemen"r or" which has been described above, will be described in detail. However, while still on the subject of the key it may be of interest to consider very briefly its general method of operation. It is contemplated that, when the key is inserted in the lock (Fig. 6), the circular hub portion will be positioned in circular aperture l i (Fig. i2) oi cash receptacle door l2 while the flattened projecting portion of sleeve 'vill will be positioned in aperture 13 of the door, aperture 'i3 being of such a shape and size that the end of sleeve 64 ts snugly therein.

Tip 48 and flanges 56, 6l and 63 of the key will, when the key is inserted in the lock be positioned in intimate contact with apertures in the rotatable tumblers of the lock in such a manner that rotation oi the tip and flanges causes a correspending rotation of the respective associated tumblers. As tip it@ is connected to cover plate 23 by pin lll (Fig. l) the tip will, of course, be rotated in the same direction and at the same speed as hand grip 22. The gearing arrangement is such (exact arrangement will be described subsequently) vthat iiange @t is also rotated in this same direction but at only one-half the speed while flanges tl and E8 are rotated in the opposite direction, the speed of rotation of flange 6l being the same as that or flange 55 and the speed of rotation of flange 68 being the same as that of tip 48., When the key is inserted in the lock and rotated therefore, the tumblers associated with tip d8 and flange 68 are rotated at the same speed but in opposite directions while the tumblers associated with flanges 65 and t1 are also rotated at the same speed but in opposite directions. This rotation causes operation of the lock in a manner which will be described in detail subsequently.

Turning now i or the present from consideration of the key to that of the lock, there is shown in Fig. 6 a lock structure mounted on the door of the cash receptacle housing of a coin collector of the general nature described in Patent No. 1,043,219 issued November 5, l9i2 to O. F. Forsberg. The lock structure includes four rotatable disc-like tumblers ii l 92, S3 and 9.1%, each of which tumblers is provided with a slot which follows an irregular path, the paths of slot 96 in tumbler 9i and of slot 99 in tumbler 9d beingoi similar contour but extending in opposite relative directions and the paths of slot d? in tumbler 32 and of slot 9S in tumbler 93 being of similar contour but extendingin opposite directions. The four tumblers are supported in proper axial alignment by four supporting tabs E92, i053, iii and l (Fiff.'7). The tumblers are so supported that each is free to rotate with respect to the others. Each of the tumblers is provided with an aperture, aperture lill of tumbler @l (Fig. 7) being of proper size and shape to receive tip oi key aperture Hi8 of tumbler being oi' proper size and shape to receive ange iid oi the key, aperture i i i oi tumbler $32 (Fig. 9) being of proper size and shape to receive flange @t of the key and aperture H2 of tumbler 93 (Fig. 9) being oi proper size and shape to receive ange iii or the key.

A bolt HG is slidably supported in the lock casing, being adapted when projected to be positioned back of flange ill of the cash receptacle housing (Fig. 6) in order to prevent removal of the door iro-rn the housing. A rectangular opening ii (Fig. 7) is provided in bolt lid. A leaf spring 525 is mounted in the lower part oi the lock casing by means of screw 22 (Fig. 7) its free end being in contact with the lower end oi bolt H6 and normally holding said bolt in fully projected position.

A grapnel shaped member 23 is pivotally mounted on the lower end of bolt ISE and comprises two arms |24 and iZ which arms are, as shown in Fig. 6, offset with respect to each other. Member 23 forms an important link in the mechanism included for preventing fraudulent operation of the lock as do also the serrated edges of slots Se and 9S. IThis facu will evident from the subsequent description of the operation of the lock.

A pin IBI (Fig. 6) is carried by bolt l I6, a round rotatable bearing member 133 being mounted on the pin between the two square shank portions |32 and |34. Y

Now that the general arrangement of the key and that of the lock have been considered let us assume that the key be inserted in the lock (Fig. 6) and that hand grip 22 be rotated in a clockwise direction in order to unlock the lock. As briefly described above this clockwise rotation of hand grip 22 will result in rotation of tip i8 in a clockwise direction and at the same speed as hand grip 22, rotation of flange 665 in a clockwise direction at one-half the speed of hand grip 22, rotation of flange 6l in a counterclockwise direction at one-half the speed of hand grip 22 and rotation of flange 58 in a counterclock'wise direction at the same speed as hand grip 22. We will now see just how these relative speeds and directions of rotation are brought about.

As pointed out above, when hand grip 22 is rotated, rotation of sleeve Eri (and plate 36) is prevented due to contact of the flattened end portion of the sleeve with aperture 'i3 of door 'I2 (Fig. 12). As hand grip 22 is rotated in a clockwise direction we have, therefore, (plate 36 remaining stationary), rotation of gear wheel 3l in a clockwise direction, as it is meshed with gear-ed segment 31?-, and rotation of gear wheel 42 in a clockwise direction as it is in mesh with geared segment IM.

Now as gear wheels 3l, 2S and 21 are all keyed to shaft 25, rotation of gear wheel 3l in a clockwise direction causes rotation of gear wheels 28 and 2'? in a clockwise direction and at the same speed as gear wheel 3l and, as gear wheels 42 and il are both key-ed to shaft 3l, rotation of gear wheel 42 in a clockwise direction causes rotation of gear Wheel 4| in a clockwise direction and at the same speed as gear wheel 42.

Rotation of gear wheel 28 Vin a clockwise direction causes rotation of gear wheel 33, as well as sleeve 63 and flange 68, in a counterclockwise direction, the ratio of the gears'being such that the speed of rotation of gear Wheel 33 is the same as that at which-hand grip 22 is rotated. Flange 68 and tip V4 8 therefore rotate at the same spee but in opposite directions.

Rotation of gear Wheel 21 in a clockwise direction causes rotation of gear wheel 32, as well as sleeve 62 and flange 61, in a counterclockwise direction, the ratio of the gears beingsuchthat the speed of rotation of gear wheel 32 is one-half that at which hand grip 22 is rotated. Flange 61, therefore, rotates at one-half the speed of tip 48 and in the opposite direction.

Rotation of gear Wheel 4| in a clockwise direction results in rotation of geared sector 43, as well as sleeve 6I and flange 66, in a clockwise direction, the ratio of the gear wheels being such that the speed of rotation of `geared sector 43 is onehalf that of hand grip 22. Flange 66, therefore, rotates in the same direction as tip 48 but at only one-half the speed. Y

As pointed outabove, tip 46 is, when the key is inserted in the lock, positioned in aperture |01 of tumbler 9|, flange 68 is positioned in aperture |98 of tumbler 94, flange 61 is positioned in aperture I I2 of tumbler 93 and flange 66 is positioned in aperture II I of tumbler 92, so that, when hand grip 22 is rotated, each of the tumblers is rotated in the same direction and at the same speed as that of the particular ange which is associated with it.

The relative positions of the tumblers at the time the key is inserted and before rotation thereof is shown in Fig. 8. It will be seen that retrac- Y tion of the bolt is prevented due to contact of pin I3I and the upper edge of turnblers 9|, 92, 93 andV 94. It will also be apparent from casual inspection of this figure that slot 9940iv tumbler 94 and slot 96 of tumbler 9| `are of equal length and slope but extend in generally opposite directions with respect to the vertical center line ofthe bolt, that slot 98 of tumbler 93 and slot 91 of tumbler 92 are also of equal length and slope and extend in opposite directions and, further, that the lengths and slopes of the two last mentioned slots are one-half those of the two rst mentioned. It `will be apparent from this that, in order to secure the progressive coincidence of the slots necessary to permit retraction of the bolt, tumblers 9| and 94 should be rotated at the same speed but m opposite directions, that tumblers 92 and 93 should be rotated at the same speed but in opposite directions and that the speed of 'rotation of the last mentioned pair of tumblers should be one-half that of the first mentioned pair. As described above, key 2| is adapted, when rotated, to produce this exact movement of the lock tumblers. f

Now as the key is rotated in a clockwise direction as mentioned above, lug |46 carried by tumbler 94-and lug |41 carried by tumbler 9| are brought into contact with the tips of arms |24 and |26, respectively, contact being made at exactly the same moment with each arm so that, as shown in Fig. 9, bolt ||9 is drawn down a certain distance against the action of spring 92|. DueV to the synchronized movement of the tumblers which is caused by the key mechanism as described above, the open ends of slots 96, 91, 98

and 99 are brought into full coincidence just as pin |3| is brought into position to enter said slots by partial retraction of the bolt. Thereupon, bearing surface |33 of pin |3I is engaged by the sides of slots 97| and 98 and, as movement of the tumblers continues, this engagement is eifective to pull the pin down, and to cause retraction of vbolt |6.

Keeping in mind the relative lengths and slopes of slots 96, 91, 98 and 99 and the relative rates and directions of rotation of tumblers 9|, 92, 93 and 94, the progressive movement of the slots from the position of Fig. 8 (bolt fully projected) to that of Fig. 9 (bolt 'partially retracted) and finally to that of Fig. l0 (bolt fully retracted) may be easily visualized.

It is believed that it will be clear from the above that retraction of the bolt can only be brought about by rotation of the tumblers at exact predetermined speeds and directions which rotation can, as a matter of fact, be achieved only by the use of a properly designed key. That is to say, it Would be next to impossible for an unlawful person to individually manipulate the tumblers by any other means in such a manner that the bolt would be retracted. kIn the firstv (Fig. 9.)

24 and |29 of member |23 at exactly the same instant in order that bolt ||6 will be retracted suiiiciently to bring pin |3I into the path of slots 9'5 and 99. (It will be evident, of course, that rotation of the tumblers when the bolt is in the position shown in Fig. 8 will have no tendency to cause retraction of the bolt inasmuch as pin |9| is out of the path of the slots.) As shown in Fig. 11 should the tumblers be so rotated that lug |41 contacts arm |26 at a time when lug |46 is not in contact with arm |24, member |23 will merely rotate about its pivot and allow lug |41 to pass, no retraction of the bolt -being caused. The same action results, of course, if lug |46 contacts arm |24 at a time when lug |41 is not in contact with arm |26.

Lugs |49 and 41, in addition to their safety feature just referred to, serve also in the capacity of counterweights to normally hold the associated tumblers in the position of Fig. 8. A like service is rendered by lugs |48 and |49 provided on tumblers 93 and 92 respectively. It is desirable that the tumblers normally be in the position.

shown in Fig. 8 in order that the apertures |91, |99, III and ||2 will be aligned whereby the key may be readily inserted.

In addition to the synchronized movement of tumblers 9| and 94 just referred to it is further necessary for retraction of the bolt that tumblers 92 and 93 be so rotated that, at the instant of contact between lugs |46 and |41 and arms |24 and |26, the open ends of slots 9i and 99 will coincide with the open ends of slots 96 and 99 in order that pin |3| may enter therein. The four tumblers must then be so rotated that portions ofthe four slots are progressively aligned in order to provide a path for pin |3I. The serrated edges of slots 98 and 99, which were referred to above, render fraudulent operation of the device even more diflicult for if the slots are not aligned at the exact predetermined rate the square shank portions |32 and |34 carried by the pin |3| will engage in the teeth of the slots and prevent further movement of the pin and bolt. The slots are so designed, however, that'when the tumblers i While simple gear forms producing regular movements of the key parts have been described, it will be understood that other gear forms producing irregular movements of the key parts may be used. For example, it is Well known that a variable speed mechanism will result if two gears oi equal diameter be meshed, their shafts each being placed on center an equal distance from the center oi' the respective gear. Such a Well known expedient may be made use of in the key described above in order to produce a variable movement ci desired parts 0I the key. For example, as shown in Fig. i3, two or" the gears of the key, gear itil (corresponding to gear 28 of key 2i), andgear it (corresponding to gear 33 of key 2l), may be mounted on shafts 53 and lffl respectively which shafts are each 01T center an equal amount with respect to the centers of the respective gears. Operation of the will then of course result in a variable speed movement of the part diven by gear 52. It is not believed necessary to show other parts of the. key or to describe the operation of the modiorm in detail inasmuch as the use of ocenter gears is, as mentioned above, Well known and it Will be understood that the general arrangement and operation of the modified type of key will be similar to that or" the key shown in Fig. l and described in detail previously.

the above escription relates primarily to the unlocking operation, it will be evident that the locking operation is just the reverse of the unlocking procedure. For example, it will be apparent that counter-clockwise rotation of the key, after the fully retracted position of Fig. has been reached, will cause rotation of the tumblers in directions opposite to those described in connection with the unlocking method, the resulting action or slots El and 93 being to force and bolt i i@ back to the position at which the pin emerges from the path oi the slots. When this point is reached and the pin is freed of restraint by the slots, spring iii acts to urge bolt l iii into the fully projected position of Fig. 8.

While certain specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is by no mcans limited in its application to those bodiments described. For example, it will be evident that more than four tumblers (or less than tour) may be utilized, that the shapes of the slots may dier from those illustrated and that va ious relative movements of the tumblers may be introduced. ln short the embodiments described should considered as illustrative of the invention rather thanas restrictive thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A ,lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt and a plurality key perated turnblers ior controlling retraction of the bolt, said tnmblers comprising rotatable discs, each of said discs having a curved slot therein, certain or" said slots extending in one direction and others of said slots extending in another direction, said projection being positioned in said slots during retraction of said bolt.

2. A lock comprising a a projection on said bolt and a plurality of rotatable key operated tumblers for controlling retraction of the boit, each of said tumblers having a curved slot therein, certain of said slots extending in one dion and others oi said slots extending in ani direction, said projection being positioned in said slots when the bolt is in unlocked position, and being positioned outside said slots when the bolt is in locked position.

3. A lock comprising a boltl and a plurality of rotatable discs for controlling retraction oi the bolt, each of said discs having a slot therein, the slots being so shaped and thediscs being so positioned with respect to each other that, as the discs are rotated at predetermined relative speeds, portions of each oi the slots are progressively brought into registry, the portions of the slots in registry at any one time being relatively short as compared to the entire length of the slots.

Li. A lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt, and a plurality of key operated tumblers for controlling retr ction oi the bolt, said tumblers comprising rotatable discs, of said discs having a slottherein, certain ci said slots being provided with serrated edges, said projection being positioned in said slots during retraction of the bolt.

5. A lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt, and a plurality oi key operated tumblers for controlling retraction ci the bolt, said tumblers comprising rotatable cs, each of said discs having a slot therein, cer-ain or" said slots being provided Wi n serrated edges, and others of said slots being provided with smooth edges, said projection being positioned said slots during retraction of the bolt, the-portions of said projection which are adapted to be positioned in the serrated slots being provided with straight sides and the portions of said projection which are adapted to be positioned in the smooth slots being provided with round sides.

6. A lock comprising a bolt, a plurality rotatable key operated tnmblers, 4combiers being normally free to rotate Without causing movement of said bolt, projections on certain ci said tumblers, and means carried by said bolt for cooperating with said projections to bring said bolt and said tumblers into cooperative position whereby movement oi tumblers will result in movement of said boit.

7. A lock comprising a bolt, a pl tatable key operated tumblers, said ing normally free to rotate without causing movement oi said bolt, projections cn cortan of said tumblers, and a double-ended pivcted member carried by said bolt for cooperating with said projections to bring said bclt and said tainblers into cooperative position whereby movement o said tuinblers will result in movement said bolt.

8. A lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt, a plurality of rotatable keyroperated tumble-rs for controlling retraction of bolt, each ci said tumblers having a slot therein, said projection being outside the path ci said slots when the bolt is in projected position, projections carried by tvvo of said tuinblers, a double ended arm rotatably mounted on bolt, simultaneous contact of one ci said tnm l r pro- 'ections With'one end ci said arm and or" the other of said tumbler projections with the'other end of said arm being effective to bring said bolt projection into the ci said slots.

9. A lock comprising a bolt, plurality of key operated rotatable tumblers controlling the retraction of said bolt, a projection on said bolt movable towards the axis oi said tumblers for bolt retraction, said tumblers being interposed in the path of said projection to normally prevent the retraction of said bolt, each oi said tumblers having a slot following a non-linear path to receive said projection for bolt retraction, certain of said slots extending in one direction n others of said slots extending in another direction.

l0. A lock comprising a bolt, a plurality of key operated rotatable tumblers, ya projection on said bolt movable towards the axis of said tumblers for bolt retraction, said tumblers being interposed in the path of Vsaid projection to normally prevent the retraction of said bolt, each of said tumblers having an elongated slot, the side walls of said slots camming said projection to retract said bolt when said tumblers are rotated in certain different predetermined relative directions.

1l. A lock comprising a bolt, a plurality of key operated tumblers for controlling the retraction of said bolt,said tnmblers being freely rotatable when said bolt is fully projected, a projection on said bolt movable towards the axis of said tumblers for bolt retraction, said tumblers being interposed in the path of said projection to normally prevent the retraction of said bolt, each of tumblers having a curved slot for receiving said projection during'bolt retraction, certain of said slots extending in one direction and others of said slots extending in another direction.

l2. A lock comprising a bolt, a plurality of key operated discs for controlling they retraction of said bolt, said discs being vfreely rotatable when said bolt is in its fully projected position, a pron jection on said bolt movable towards the axis of said discs for bolt retraction, one of said discs having elongated slot following a curved path, a second of said discs having an elongated slot following a path of different curvature whereby only short portions of said slots may be brought into registry at one time, said slots receiving said projection for bolt retraction.

13. A lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt, a plurality of rotatable tumblers each having a slot following a non-linear path, certain of said slots extending in one direction and others extending in another direction, said slots receiving said projection when said tumblers are rotated to bring said slots into registry and the walls of said slots camming said projection as the rotation of the tumblers is continued to cause the retraction of said bolt, said lock having a key opening and being operable by a key means insertable in said opening for rotating said tumblers.

14. A lock comprising .a bolt, a projection on the bolt and a plurality of rotatable discs for controlling retraction of the bolt, each of said discs having a slot therein, the slots being so shaped and the discs so positioned with respect to each other that, as the discs ,are rotated at predetermined relative speeds, portions of each of the slots are progressively brought into registry, said projection on the bolt being positioned in the slots during retraction of -the bolt, said lock being operable by means adapted to rotate said discs to bring portions of said slots into registry to retract the bolt at such a speed that the projection thereon moves linearly within the slots as portions thereof are brought into registry.

15. A lock comprising a bolt, a projection on said bolt and a plurality of rotatable discs for controlling retraction of the bolt, each of said discs having a curved slot therein, certain of said slots being of greater length than others of discs having a curved slot therein, certain of said slots being of greater length than others of said slots, and certain of said slots extending in one direction and others of said slots extending in another direction, said projection being poe sitioned in said slots during retraction of said bolt.

17. A lock comprising a bolt, a plurality of rotatable key operated tumblers, said tumblers being normally free to rotate without causing movement of said bolt, a projecting member carried by said bolt, and means carried by certain of said tinnblers for cooperating with said member carried by the bolt to bring said bolt and said tumblers into cooperative position whereby Vmovement of said tumblers will result in movement of said bolt.

EMIL N. ANDERSON. c, 

